As many of you have seen, a topic is made everyday asking whether weightlifting stunts your growth. I have decided to prove to you all that it does not. So let us begin.
The first question to be addressed is: What does "stunting your growth" mean?
To "stunt your growth", the growth plates of the human body must be injured. The most common being overuse injures or even a fall/blow to the limb - causing bone fractures. Bone infections, extreme cold, radiations and certain medications, neurological disorders and metabolic disease also can cause growth plate injuries.
http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info.../default.asp#3
So what are growth plates?
The growth plates are areas of growing tissue near the end of bones. Growth plates are located on the long bones of children and young people.
Each long bone has at least two growth plates-one at each end. This is where the long bones grow. When young people finish growing, the growth plates close and are replaced by solid bone.
Thus injuries to the growth plates are especially dangerous for adolescents. Halting the growth of a child is undesirable and thus should be avoided(duh). Paranoid parents becoming more aware thus began questioning whether weight lifting could stunt the growth of their children.
However, as stated earlier - unless the heavy weights collide with the bone, weight lifting will not cause bone fractures - thus not "stunting the growth" of a child. However, you don't simply have to take my word for it.
Experimental programs most often used isotonic machines and free weights, 2- and 3-day protocols, and 8- and 12-week durations, with significant improvements in muscular strength during childhood and early adolescence. Strength gains were lost during detraining. Experimental resistance training programs did not influence growth in height and weight of pre- and early-adolescent youth, and changes in estimates of body composition were variable and quite small. Only 10 studies systematically monitored injuries, and only three injuries were reported. Estimated injury rates were 0.176, 0.053, and 0.055 per 100 participant-hours in the respective programs.
CONCLUSION: Experimental training protocols with weights and resistance machines and with supervision and low instructor/participant ratios are relatively safe and do not negatively impact growth and maturation of pre- and early-pubertal youth.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17119361
Epiphyseal plate (growth plate) fractures may be the key concern in this controversy. Damage to these plates induced by weight training is frequently cited as a reason for avoiding weight training in children. The existing medical and scientific data do not support this as a valid contraindication. One instance of epiphyseal fracture attributed to weightlifting has been reported in preadolescents (Gumbs, 1982). In pubescent athletes, five publications have reported instances of fractures related to weight training (Benton, 1983; Brady, 1982; Gumbs, 1982; Rowe, 1979; Ryan, 1976). The overwhelming majority of these injuries were attributed to improper technique in the execution of the exercises and excessive loading. Each report failed to consider that the injury may actually have occurred as a result of contact with the floor or other object subsequent to loss of balance and falling, and not be attributable to the actual weight training movement. Further, proper diagnosis and treatment of this rare injury resulted in no detrimental effect on growth (Caine, 1990).
It has also been noted that weight training does not interfere with growth by other means (Ramsey, 1990; Sailors, 1987; Seigel, 1989; Weltman, 1986). Research reviewed by Theintz (1994) seems to suggest that sport training for less than 15 hours per week was not disruptive to hormonal status, growth or puberty.
http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/W...nceptions.html
Summarized, the present investigation showed that exercise has
a positive effect in attainment of peak bone mass, an effect that is
preserved during maturation and consolidation of bone mass. We
also found a positive effect on femoral neck bone strength. This
gain of bone strength may be due partly to an increased bone mass
and partly to an earlier maturation of the skeleton.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...5650090317/pdf
So in the end, it must be said. Weight lifting does not directly stunt the growth of adolescents. I welcome all of the other veterans of this forum to post information also proving that it does not stunt growth.
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03-04-2011, 08:21 PM #1
Weight lifting does Not stunt your growth.
~ ♥♥ angelus mortis, et medicus damnatorum ♥♥ ~
pignus aeternae gloriae et honoris
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03-04-2011, 08:23 PM #2
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03-04-2011, 08:31 PM #3
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03-04-2011, 08:32 PM #4
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03-04-2011, 08:50 PM #5
mayoclinic.com/health/strength-training/HQ01010
Strength training for kids? You bet! Done properly, strength training offers many bonuses to young athletes. Strength training is even a good idea for kids who simply want to look and feel better. In fact, strength training can put your child on a lifetime path to better health and fitness.
Strength training, not weightlifting
Don't confuse strength training with weightlifting, bodybuilding or powerlifting. These activities are largely driven by competition, with participants vying to lift heavier weights or build bigger muscles than those of other athletes. This can put too much strain on young muscles, tendons and areas of cartilage that haven't yet turned to bone (growth plates) — especially when proper technique is sacrificed in favor of lifting larger amounts of weight.
please do not give misinformation... damage to the growth plates is definitely possible.. if lifting is done incorrectly. done correctly, STRENGTH TRAINING is great for kids.... NOT WEIGHTLIFTING. big difference.
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03-04-2011, 08:52 PM #6
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03-04-2011, 08:52 PM #7
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03-04-2011, 08:54 PM #8
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03-04-2011, 08:56 PM #9
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03-04-2011, 08:56 PM #10
You appear to have missed out on this.
especially when proper technique is sacrificed in favor of lifting larger amounts of weight.
Pretty common knowledge that injuries can occur from sacrificing proper technique for higher weight. Whether it be strength training, powerlifting or bodybuilding.
I appreciate your concern though.~ ♥♥ angelus mortis, et medicus damnatorum ♥♥ ~
pignus aeternae gloriae et honoris
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03-04-2011, 08:57 PM #11
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03-04-2011, 09:01 PM #12
unfortunately, his article is flawed. He is talking specifically about weight lifting. I take the word of a medical facility like the mayo clinic over the federal government any day. strength training is fine but encouraging young people who are still growing to 'lift heavy or go home' is just reckless and stupid. sticky-ing a post doing that is asking for trouble.
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03-04-2011, 09:01 PM #13
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03-04-2011, 09:03 PM #14
i beg to differ with you, you are the one who missed it bro. I didnt miss a thing. encouraging young people to 'weightlift' is a bad idea. once they get strong enough to lift their own body weight, thats when the trouble begins... they want to lift more.. they read these boards and get that no pain no gain mentality and thats where the trouble is.
im not ignorant to anything.. you may want to visit the site link i provided and educate yourself further.
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03-04-2011, 09:06 PM #15
As I said, I appreciate your concern. I also enjoy intelligent debate. However your link did not provide any scientific evidence proving that powerlifting, bodybuilding or olympic weight lifting will stunt the growth of adolescents.
As I previously stated, the only way I see an adolescent's growth being stunted is through dropping the weight on an area that damages a growth plate(through a fracture).~ ♥♥ angelus mortis, et medicus damnatorum ♥♥ ~
pignus aeternae gloriae et honoris
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03-04-2011, 09:06 PM #16
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03-04-2011, 09:08 PM #17
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03-04-2011, 09:08 PM #18
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03-04-2011, 09:11 PM #19
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03-04-2011, 09:19 PM #20
lol yes, because the mayo clinic is in the habit of posting bogus information. ok.. whatever 'bro'. broscience is what you are spewing. be responsible in what you post when it comes to minors. that is all. (use your google search.. 'growth plates and weight lifting'.. you will be amazed at what information is out there if you use due dilligence and look for it.
"Weightlifting can damage the growth plates when you don't have proper technique and you are lifting way too much weight than what your body can handle. Now you might see people do this and not damage anything, but you increase the chances of hurting your growth plates when those two factors are present (improper form and lots of weight)."
Adam Kessler
en.allexperts. com/q/Weightlifting-Exercise-1549/2008/9/growth-plates-weight-lifting.htm
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03-04-2011, 09:22 PM #21
lifting a proper amount of weight for the purpose of strength training is fine. Im not saying young people cant life weights, im sorry if i am giving that impression. and some increases are expected once the body has become thouroughly accustomed to a specific weight. when a teen needs to wear a belt and grunt to get the weight up off the rack or floor.. there is a problem. damage to the growth plates will occur at this point. that is the point i am trying to make.
summary: lift, but lift smartly until such time as the growth plates have fused.
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03-04-2011, 09:23 PM #22
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03-04-2011, 09:24 PM #23
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03-04-2011, 09:24 PM #24
dont be lazy man .. jeezuz.. i cant post links until i have 30 posts.. which is retarded considering ive been a member for years... but whatever.. just add the http;// and you will be fine.
btw.. you provided some blather from the federal government, not actual scientific study material.. i want you to provide those scietific studies so i can further study your studies.Last edited by QuietStorm; 03-04-2011 at 09:28 PM. Reason: i felt like it.
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03-04-2011, 09:26 PM #25
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03-04-2011, 09:27 PM #26
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03-04-2011, 09:29 PM #27
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03-04-2011, 09:30 PM #28
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03-04-2011, 09:31 PM #29
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03-04-2011, 09:35 PM #30
k. You are confusing bitter.
Pubmed = fake scientific material?
Also, I added the "http;//" - which didn't work. I also added "http://" - which didn't work. I even tried "www." - which didn't work.
Now, I admit I am bloody terrible with computers but nonetheless I can't seem to get your link to work. So I'll just use the information you provided me.
Okay, what from you have posted here - I do not see any conclusive scientific evidence proving your point. I have already stated that improper form with heavy weight can lead to increased injury. However, I have not seen any evidence proving that heavy weight alone can damage the growth plates.~ ♥♥ angelus mortis, et medicus damnatorum ♥♥ ~
pignus aeternae gloriae et honoris
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